Although it's not nearly as detrimental for either as some would suggest.

Rayman Legends was, for myself and many others, a major reason to pick up a Wii U early on. Although it was known more than a month in advance of the system's launch that Legends would be coming in the first quarter of 2013, rather than in November as originally planned, it had been a game touted as a Wii U exclusive for some time. It seemed inevitable that it would eventually come to other platforms, but it would still be a game that could only be had on Wii U for a period of time, and it would only be on Wii U that you could take advantage of the GamePad-specific features.

With the beginning of 2013 being so barren for Wii U releases that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently apologized for the drought, Legends would have been an even more welcome sight on store shelves. Much to the chagrin of Wii U owners everywhere, Ubisoft yesterday announced the game would not be coming out on February 26, as it was said to be even in recent weeks, but would instead be coming in September -- alongside Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.

This came as a surprise for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the Wii U version was already finished. Ubisoft has insisted the delay is only to allow it to come out at the same time on multiple platforms, telling Digital Spy, "There are no issues with the game development. All of the information was in the press release, the only reason for the delay is to release on multiple platforms."

"We heard from many Xbox 360 & Playstation 3 owners and Rayman fans who told us they really wanted to play Rayman Legends on their current system," said Ubisoft's Tony Key in the referenced press release. "We decided to give the fans what they wanted while at the same time broadening the audience exposed to this innovative and memorable game."

Unsurprisingly, this has incited a great deal of rage over the past day from fans who feel betrayed or misled. Legends was to be a premiere example of why Wii U is worth a purchase, and without it, that case can only be made by pointing to launch games or by looking ahead to all of the stuff -- Smash Bros., Zelda, Mario, etc. -- that still won't be here for a while. Fans being upset by this development is more than understandable, though I do think a lot of the reaction -- proclamations that they won't buy the game, Ubisoft's games, or even third-party games in general anymore -- has been extreme. (At least Wii U still has the game's demo!)

There's no doubting this stinks as a Wii U owner. From Ubisoft's perspective, though, I think the decision makes sense. Nintendo recently admitted sales have been not as strong as anticipated, forcing it to slash its projections of 5.5 million systems sold through the end of March to just 4 million. That would indicate less than a million systems will be sold in the first three months out of the year, a figure that won't be helped any by Legends being delayed and going multiplatform.

Even if Legends had been released this month as planned, it wasn't going to single-handedly turn the Wii U's fortunes around. And the fact of the matter is that Ubisoft wants to sell its game to as many people as possible, and if Wii U sales are not at the levels it had been anticipating, it doesn't make sense to release the game now. (There is a sort of chicken-or-the-egg type scenario; without software, the system isn't going to sell, but the system won't get software unless it sells.) It would be hard to argue Ubisoft hasn't made a concerted effort to support Wii U. Yes, EA had Mass Effect 3 and Activision had Call of Duty: Black Ops II out last year, but Ubisoft was the strongest third-party supporter of the system with exclusives (namely ZombiU) right out of the gate.

Keep in mind, it's not Ubisoft's duty to provide anyone with a reason to pick up a Wii U. No doubt it, along with every other publisher, would be happy to have another viable system on which to sell games, but its business doesn't hinge on explosive Wii U sales, as evidenced by the company's strong third quarter (which ended on December 31, 2012). And if Wii U isn't selling well, what reason does it have to bother with Wii U exclusives that only ensure lower sales than what could be achieved by releasing games on multiple platforms?

The argument against its handling of Legends is that it should have just released the game on Wii U this month and then come out with the 360 and PS3 versions at some future point in time (be it September or whenever). The reason this doesn't necessarily make sense is that it could cost Ubisoft sales of the game; by having it available on Wii U now, fewer people will be interested when it's released on other platforms seven months from now. Additionally, marketing the game is a much easier task when it only has to be done for one launch, rather than two. I do question the decision to release in September, though, with Grand Theft Auto V coming out that month.

No matter how you look at it, this doesn't look good for Wii U. It's by no means the end of the world for the system, and its potential to have a very bright future is not going to be massively impeded by this lone Ubisoft decision. But, aside from the disappointment existing Wii U owners will experience as a result, this also doesn't reflect well on the system. It's one thing for publishers to take a wait-and-see approach before fully committing themselves to developing original games for it, and it's another when a publisher that has already done so to begin reevaluating that decision.

That move reflects a lack of confidence in the system moving forward, and it's coming at a time that Nintendo most needs to establish a foothold. The PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox are likely no more than a year away, in which case Nintendo doesn't have much time left before more people are presented with the idea of spending their money on a new system not named Wii U. And with there being so little reason to buy one early in 2013 -- and even less of one with the Legends shift -- this year likely hasn't started out exactly the way Nintendo had hoped it would.

Ubisoft Really Screwed Up

And the hits just keep on comin'

Waiting to buy a WiiU is becoming more and more of an attractive choice for me. With only a few 1st party titles released, only a handful of future ones announced and their dates being tentative still, I fear for Nintendo being relavent among gamers. I'm sure they'll survive this folly like Nintendo has done for many years, but it's getting old. I want to be happy to buy a Nintendo product and be optimistic about future titles. I want the company to succeed and garner praise among critics and gamers alike. However, while I already own a 360 and a PS3, at this juncture, it seems silly to drop the cash on a system that offers few exsclusives and games that I can already play on my current systems. It is not Ubisoft's responsibility to sell WiiUs, so I can hardly fault them for the lackluster future. Come on Nintendo. Do not wait until E3. Let us see what you have in store for us now!

Laughable...

Look... It sucks that this isn't coming out this month on the WiiU, and I am in fact upset about it, but I am getting tired of the press implying that the WiiU is a waste. I enjoy my Wii U quite a bit. I've got some good games, and there will, I'm certain, be many more in the future. Nintendo releases a lot of games other companies don't, not just first party titles. They released a ton of JRPGs for the Wii that I couldn't handle because the non-HD thing bothered me, but now that problem is gone.

This song and dance was said and done about the 3DS as well, and that system has awesome games, and is light years ahead of the Vita in terms of entertainment value. That is coming from someone who owns both systems, and is a PS+ subscriber so I get free Vita games all the time. It's STILL not near as good as the 3DS. Only problem is my wife uses the 3DS constantly, so I really don't get much time with it.

I'll enjoy my PS4 when that comes out in November, and I will continue to enjoy m WiiU at that time as well. I don't know why the media is so quick to bash Nintendo these days. They have been torn into after their last two launches. Very undeservingly so. Nintendo is an innovative company, who is choosing to focus on quality games, rather than push the envelope as far as it can go with graphics. If the WiiU goes like the 3DS has, that will be just fine.

It's Over

The Wii U is done! Thank god! Now Nintendo and it's baby games can finally get lost! They should stick to handhelds and software only. I would love to see how well yet another Mario, Zelda or whatever sells on another system. Something tells me it will sell like Sonic has (not the latest). Although I would buy one just to get the joy of playing a Nintendo game on another system.

Nintendo messed up by not marketing toward the hard-core gamer as they claimed and just went back to making the system for little babies. They hardly advertised it or paid for hype as they did with the Wii. Nintendo of all publishers, did not even come with a game that showed off what the system could do, so THEY are to blame more than anyone. You can't release a system with no games, but the only 1st party game is yet another Mario game with SNES graphics and gameplay. When people see that, they think (rightly so) that Nintendo has not evolved and are stuck in the 80's where they once ruled alone. Nintendo still has not awoken to the fact that they have not ruled anything for over two decades!

N0gar you post

Is filled with pretty much 100 percent not factual information. Obviously you don't have a Wii U. And on top of that this is not about Nintendo, its about UBISOFT breaking their word to gamers and really has nothing to do with Nintendo. I think with 20 plus games out you can't say there are no games. But AAA games that is is another story. Yet no other system in history has had a flood of triple A games at launch so why should the Wii U be any different. But I'm going to have to subsist off the EShop on this system for awile that is for sure with no great games coming out in the next few months.

Nintendo is doooooomed! Doomed!

BTW- I am completely happy with my Wii and WiiU. The Wii is my favorite console of all time. The exclusives were killer. My 360 red ringed and I was just never sold on the PS3. I don't hate either. I recognize that they are both totally legit platforms. I just like my PC, my 3DS, my PSP, and my WiiU. Good shit.

Sean697

The Sega Dreamcast launched with AAA after AAA titles! That discredits you right there! THe only reason the Dreamcast had to fold (it did not flop) was because Sega (mainly Sega of America) came out with too many costly and uneeded systems too soon just to add to Sega's graphic abilities and none worked. The PS2 also had a DVD and it sold more, so the Dreamcast kind of got overlooked with publishers. EA did not develop for it, but that made 2k SPorts possible!

The Dreamcast was no different

While I agree the Dreamcast had a good launch lineup. It too only had a few quality games right at laucnh and took quite a few months to get more good games. Also the Dreamcast had a 1 year headstart in Japan before it came out here. Highlights of Dreamcast launch where Sonic Adventure, NFL2K, Powerstone. The rest were not AAA titles. Im flattered your citing the Dreamcast as its one of my favorite systems, but your argument doesnt apply here.

It's detrimental to Nintendo, the fans, and the developers.

I think what angers me most is how Ubisoft treated the developers. They had them work overtime to get the game done by February, only to unecessarily delay the title by seven months. I would understand if they had a good reason, but...there isn't one.

"...by having it available on Wii U now, fewer people will be interested when it's released on other platforms seven months from now."

I don't see why that would be the case. Many of the current Wii U owners expressed clear interest in Rayman Legends, and some even claim to have bought a Wii U for the purpose of playing it! Also, the positive reviews and Let's Play videos for the Wii U version would probably just build up hype for those who don't have or want a Wii U. If the "timed exlusive" strategy doesn't work, then why did Microsoft often try to get exclusives for the Xbox 360 before Sony could release it on the PS3? Did doing that ever negatively impact the sales of those games?

"Additionally, marketing the game is a much easier task when it only has to be done for one launch, rather than two."

That's probably true, but it's not worth angering those who wanted to buy it and losing loyalty. Just look at the outcome! The Miiverse is full of anti-Ubisoft comments! Maybe Ubisoft wasn't expecting that reaction, but I hope they've learned their lesson now. And, once again, if they market a successful game once and create enough interest, they may convince non-Wii U owners to stay tuned until September.

"I do question the decision to release in September, though, with Grand Theft Auto V coming out that month."

That's the biggest problem. Do they seriously expect Rayman Legends to be able to compete with one of the best-selling games of all time?

Nintendo Nuts

The game has been delayed and come even be cancled because the Wii U has flopped. According to Nintendo nuts and paid posters on various sites, GTA V is not supposed to be about anything and GTA 4 was a low selling game and Nintneod Wii Mario Kart sol 32 Million vs GTA4 's 9. That is, according to Nintendo nuts.

@n0gar

The game has been delayed and come even be cancled because the Wii U has flopped.

The same thing was said about the Wii, DS, and 3DS. A game is not going to get cancelled just because a system isn't doing really well right out of the gate. Poor performance is common for, well, most systems nowadays.

According to Nintendo nuts and paid posters on various sites, GTA V is not supposed to be about anything and GTA 4 was a low selling game and Nintneod Wii Mario Kart sol 32 Million vs GTA4 's 9. That is, according to Nintendo nuts.

Um...what? You know who says or believes that? Nobody. Not even these so-called "Nintendo nuts" you speak of. You must have a lot of fun making "facts" up, eh?

So glad they're thinking about their current customers

I don't care about going multiplatform. Whatever. That's good for Ubisoft's bottom line.

I DO feel upset about the fact that a game I've had preordered for months already is going to be delayed AGAIN. By the time it releases, I will have had money sitting on this game for the better part of a year... and I think that it's rather scummy that Ubisoft would be so happy to just fuck over its customers like that.

Don't Hate

If they had released the game on time, you would be cheering them instead of shitting on them. You should be angry at Nintendo for not coming with one of their main titles with Wii U graphics. Of course they are never to blame are they?

lie

That's not true. If they did a wii u release now and a miltiplatform release in September they wouldn't have to pay for 2 advertising campaigns cause nintendo would be more than happy to do the february-march one for them since nintendo has been dying to get another quality game on their system. Plus there's almost no competition right now I'm September there will be tons. I hope they see our outrage and change their minds.

This article exaggerates

The wii u is selling better than every other console in history but 1 at the same point in time. The media ( not this site in general) dont acknowledge we do this doomed dance for every system. Gets old

In march monster hunter is a reason to get the system, then pikmin, then game and wario, then during the holidays explect 3 first party nintendo games.

Its following the same 3ds trajectory to #1 ( who knows if it will get there)

Hey

You forget that the Wii U already had a holiday experience and it has flopped. The 360/PS3 cost more than the Wii U when they launched and still sold given their prices. The Wii U has flopped because it sold porrly, has next to no software, Nintneod does not even appear to support it, GTA V is coming out and the next Xbox and PS are coming. It's a done deal for Nintendo. In order for them to survive, they will have to cut their losses onthe Wii U and let it go.

All I gotta say is

Really?

I´d think a gaming journalist, of all people, would understand the benefit of going multiplatform... More gamers get to play the game, and publishers/devs have a better chance to get their investment back and make some profit... for me it´s a win-win situation.

Now, platinum making Bayonetta 2 Wii-U exclusive... That certainly is a let down for XB360 and PS3 owners who supported it..., and please don´t get me wrong, I´m not a Nintendo hater, I'm all for Bayonetta 2 on Wii-U, I just don't think it is right to make the people who supported the franchise from the get go, have to buy a different system just to play the sequel, when their current gen systems are more than capable of running it perfectly.

Bayonetta 2...

Platinum Games didn't make Bayonetta 2 Wii U exclusive. They weren't going to finish making Bayonetta 2 at all. Nintendo stepped in and gave them the money to finish making the game, and will publish the title. Naturally Nintendo's going to want the game exclusive to their system after that.

Gaming press doesn't get it, people are mad because of the delay.

Taking Rayman multiplatform is not why people are angry... people are angry because the game is finished and was supposed to come out this month and now it's not. It's a terrible, terrible thing they are doing to any customers who had a WiiU and were waiting for this game. Again, it's not about the game going multiplat, or what it may or may not have done for WiiU's success, it's the simple fact that the game had a date and was finished well ahead of that day and instead will just be sitting around for half a year. Chris doesn't get it.

I really wanted to play Rayman Legends...

Rayman Origins is, without a doubt, one of my absolute favorite games of this generation. The fact that the sequel was a Wii U-exclusive irked me, but I just chalked it up as a reason to buy the system when I could reasonably fit it into my budget.

So, with that said...why is Ubisoft fucking over the folks who DID buy a Wii U? I understand their interest in going multiplatform, but the goddamned game is ready to go on Nintendo's platform. Why don't they just release the Wii U version now, and release it to the rest of us in September?

Must they release all three (Wii U, PS3, 360) versions simultaneously? And, if so, why?

This shit makes absolutely zero sense to me, and I feel bad for all the Wii U owners who were expecting Rayman Legends to fill the software drought of Q1 2013.

If this is purely a matter of Ubisoft insisting on launching a game simultaneously on all three platforms, then shame on them. They built an expectation amongst Wii U owners that Rayman was something to look forward to this month. They could've still made good on that expectation while appeasing us PS3/360 owners by shipping the ports in September.

Lame. Real lame. Luckily, there's Platinum Games, and their awesome-looking "Wonderful 101" will have to serve as a consolation for the Wii U crowd this quarter.

I agree

I have a great PC, PS3 and a Wii U, and I'm always looking for stuff to buy and download to my Wii U these days. After the demo, I was really looking forward to this earler in the year on Wii U -- when there aren't that many games I'm interested in coming out on the systems I own anyway.

Now, it's like, "Yet again I won't buy a Rayman game, because there is so much else coming out at the same time".

Better Luck?

But you all had to get that WI u at launch. So glad I got an Xbox 360 and a Ps3 . Rayman is coming . Rayman is old . It takes Nintendo 2 years to put out a game that xbox or Ps 3 did in 6 mos. After the Wii u failure , nothing but SEGA . I own an I pad lolololo...

Nintoddler let down the Wii-U

Wii U demo was probably running in a couple of emulators

They probably released the Wii U demo running one level in a PS3 emulator and the other one in a 360 emulator (both of which run on Wii U), and need to take the rest of the time developing the actual native versions of all 3 games.

Sensible Piece

Indeed, while I can understand the disappointment of Nintendophiles who charged out to buy WiiUs, the bigger blame really should be leveled at Nintendo itself for not offering more compelling hardware on a timely basis.

But this is hardly new. The N64 went through huge droughts between worthwhile releases, and the GameCube wasn't that much better. Even the Wii, really, only offered occasional triple-A titles that weren't platformers. Which, of course, is exactly what Rayman Legends is--another platformer.

Either way, the WiiU's success in its early days was always dubious. The bigger question is whether Nintendo can right the ship before the impending Sony and Microsoft launches this Fall.

Why the Nintendo-blame?

"the bigger blame really should be leveled at Nintendo itself for not offering more compelling hardware on a timely basis."

Admittedly, Nintendo has its fair share of flaws. However, Nintendo wasn't in the wrong here. Ubisoft screwed over Nintendo, the developers, and the fans by holding a finished game hostage.

I played the demo, and I thought the usage of the GamePad was excellent (this opinion is also shared by many others). A ton of people were excited for this game and have cancelled their preorders out of anger. Some people even are outright refusing to buy the game and/or future Ubisoft releases. Check Ubisoft's Facebook page and watch the YouTube videos that have compilations of the anti-Ubisoft Miiverse posts. Ubisoft would be wise to reverse their decision.

Ubisoft could've used the Wii U version to promote the later releases of the other versions, but instead, they chickened out and stupidly thought it would be safer to release all the versions at the same time...in the same month of GTA V's release!

Yes, the Wii U has some issues it needs to fix, and Nintendo isn't perfect. However, it's Ubisoft's fault this time. Also, let's not forget that Nintendo is funding development and acting as the publisher for Platinum Games' Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 (in other words, these games cannot become multiplatform). I hope that Nintendo continues to court developers like this.

I agree with Willso

Why not release the Wii U version now and the others later?? Wii U owners would have probably spread word of mouth about how awesome the game is too. Played the demo, seemed solid. Not sure what Ubisoft is thinking.

ugh...

Everyone is more upset about the delay than going multiplatform, i've seen people even ask to just release it this month as a timed exclusive. It's a finished game and Ubisoft doing this is really stupid, seeing as Nintendo put a ton of effort into promoting that game only to be taken away till the end of this year. They are going to send Rayman to die this fall because it will be alongside bigger franchises like GTA, Pokemon, Wind Waker HD and who knows what else.

Game Boy Colour

I have really enjoyed Rayman on my Gameboy Colour. Ubisoft is doing it for the Rayman (Origins) fans to have the chance to enjoy the sequel... I would love to see them delaying it further for maybe 1-2 years to bring out a proper version on the GBC simultaneously, wouldt that be a great fan service?

F+ck that sh#t, where is your logic Ubisoft? :(

I understand why you release it on multiple platforms - third party exclusives on more or less identical consoles are wierd anyway - BUT the game is FINISHED NOW FOR WII U (it should be^^), why dont you just release it on the other systems additionally later? oO Now there is no competition... it will be hard to compete in November..:/And whats about Far Cry3, and that other game, which isnt on all platforms, where is the sense in that? oO

Really Don't Buy The Argument Against Releasing It Now

Would it REALLY have been such a crippling burden to market the game for the PS360 later in the year? I'm sure Ubisoft could've handled that. Nor would a staggered release have dampened expectations--if anything, it may have helped out, as people assumed it would be an exclusive.

The Wii U delay seemed suspect on it's own; sending the game to die under GTA V's weight just makes it stupid.

I agree here

Apparently the game is finished enough to release, so why not just release it on Wii U first, and the others later? With such a dry month or two, it would have been something new, it would have gotten a lot more sales. Now it's just going to be shadowed by the fall games. I don't know how an extra year of development is going to help the game...